| National cohesion becomes more and more important against the background of globalization in the modern age.An inclusive national identity with definitive national core values makes the prerequisite of strong national cohesion,which not only facilitates the development of a nation in the international arena,but more importantly keeps it in stability both socially and politically.In the early periods of constructing Australian national identity,it was essentially Anglo-Saxon based.British culture and its traditional were upheld as an integral part of the set of "distinctive" Australian values.With that,Australian national identity served its great role in the two world wars in uniting the young nation as one.In the 1970s,multiculturalism was introduced as a national policy for assuring equitability and justice in response to the colossal ethnic diversity.Australia became one of the most successful multicultural countries in the articulations of successive federal governments.However,in the construction of Australian national identity,racism has never been extirpated.From the exclusive "White Australia policy" to multiculturalism,Australia saw the extinction of visible discrimination but left the deep-rooted views and values of racism untouched and turned into invisible racial bias in social institutions in daily life.A gentle toss could stir the emotional sediments.Multiculturalism could have played a better role in managing ethnic diversity and mitigating ethnic conflicts.The Australian multicultural policy was introduced as a highly pragmatic immigrant settlement program rather than implemented in line with the actual national conditions in Australia and the cultural needs of newcomers.The ingrained psyche of "white cultural supremacy",thus,led to contradictions between the ascendancy of the mainstream cultural group and the needs of blossoming and contending of ethnic minorities,which made it difficult for the formation of a sound and cohesive national identity. |
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